Governor McAuliffe Vetoes 'Unnecessary Changes' to Election System   Richmond, VA (March 15, 2017) - Governor Terry McAuliffe has vetoed House Bill 2343, which would increase the potential for qualified Virginians to be improperly disenfranchised by decentralizing the Commonwealth’s process for elections data list maintenance. The Governor’s full statement is below. Governor McAuliffe also vetoed Senate Bill 872, which is identical to House Bill 1428, a bill he vetoed last week. The bills would erect an unnecessary and impractical barrier to voting by forcing people to submit photo identification when seeking to vote absentee by mail. Here is McAuliffe on the proposed law: March 13, 2017 "Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 2343. Requiring the Department of Elections to provide lists of certain voters who may have moved to localities after the Department has conducted list maintenance activities in compliance with state and federal law increases the administrative burden on localities which are currently struggling with limited resources. "By providing 133 individual general registrars with lists of certain voters and no clear instructions, this bill would invite confusion and increase the possibility of violating federal law. Moreover, it would expose eligible and properly registered Virginians to the risk of improper disenfranchisement. "The Commonwealth’s proven and efficient methods of list maintenance serve as a national model. We should focus on improving this system rather than needlessly increasing administrative burdens."

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